Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

She was waiting for an explanation... no, that wasn't quite right. To be precise, it was a kind of reassurance. She was waiting for her own reassurance, a promise she knew was a lie, asking for it in a subtle and cautious way, like a gentle cat cautiously probing him with its soft paws.

He didn't know where this intuition came from... but he realized it might be right and he should do it.

So Thesorius no longer hesitated. After a moment's thought, he devised his plan, as swift and decisive as he had been on the battlefield, ruthlessly and aggressively crushing the enemy's army.

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The book is dry and complicated, but it's not difficult for me. It's just that holding such a heavy book in my hands is really uncomfortable... Such a large and heavy book should be read on a sturdy table with bright light.

This way of reading is completely torturing her wrists; Tarina can even feel her arms aching, and the prolonged soreness has even made them tremble a little… Who on earth put copper corners on this backpack?! It could practically smash someone's head in!

Despite how difficult it was, Tarina still had no intention of leaving. She even used the time to continue learning the knowledge on the pages of the book, while feeling happy and encouraged by the sunlight shining on her.

The man beside her fell into a subtle silence, while Tarina's mood became increasingly cheerful... Just standing next to him in the warm sunlight made the girl have to try hard to suppress the corners of her mouth.

The human mind is a wondrous thing; no matter how wise a person is, it is difficult to predict its course. All sorts of wonderful chemical reactions brew up colors that are so sweet they glow, freely painting over the mind and making even the most mundane and boring things exceptionally interesting.

She even hoped that this time would last a little longer—Tesolius rarely had any free time. As the high-ranking and powerful commander of the empire, all his time was precious, and he needed to think about more important things and make more important decisions.

Opportunities like this are rare and precious, so despite the increasingly unbearable weight of the book in her hands, Tarina forced herself to stay... At the same time, a greedy hope arose within her... a hope that her request would be answered...

Until a hand firmly gripped her shoulder, the girl was still quite at ease, but this sudden contact quickly shattered her calm facade. The sudden loss of strength in her wrist, which was aching from the heavy book, had a terrible consequence—the book would break her toes!

For a moment, Tarina even forgot her shyness and tried to get away in a slightly flustered manner.

A foot clad in an iron boot suddenly emerged, then kicked upwards steadily, striking the corner of the brass book with its toe. This caused the heavy book to bounce backwards for a moment, only to be caught securely by Thesolius's outstretched hand.

"...Hmm? This weight is indeed quite unusual... You must have had a lot of trouble carrying it, Doctor."

Before Talina could answer, Tersolius tossed the book to the guard standing beside him, then freed his hand to knead Talina's soft cheeks, as if stroking a cat's soft ears.

In the morning sunlight, Tarina's long ears visibly turned rosy, the light seemingly penetrating through her thin skin and cartilage, making the blood vessels inside shimmer like carnelian. The powerless girl could only utter a cute protest before quickly giving in and allowing Tersolius to ravage her.

"Don't worry about me, doctor. I'm not so impulsive as to put myself in danger for some trivial reason... Sometimes only I can do certain things, or do certain things to a certain extent. That's an honest statement, and you should be able to tell."

"And don't you have me? Even if I really act impulsively, you'll stop me in time, won't you? I have many trustworthy people around me, and you are the reason I dare to do this."

…………

Tarina covered her face and hurriedly ran away without hesitation. Her last bit of courage had vanished. She didn't even bother to take the book with her. As she ran away, her conspicuous ears were as red as two autumn leaves.

Having easily defeated Talina, Tersolius watched the warm sunlight melt the thin ice around him, and his heart brightened and warmed along with the sunlight... This rare good state made him feel comfortable, but it didn't last long - another problem, not too big, not too small, popped up.

Chapter 316 Urging (3)

It was a clean and warm house with neatly cut oak floors and walls, a roof covered with red tiles, and thick parchment lining the inside of the windows to let in a little light while blocking out the cold wind. The rest of the furnishings, while not luxurious, were exquisite and detailed, making it comfortable enough to be called comfortable.

But at the same time, it is also an ingeniously designed cage. Not only is the roof sealed with layers of wooden beams, but even the windows are covered with nets woven from fine wire, just like birdcages woven with gold thread, revealing a suffocating pressure.

Alva sat calmly on the bed, his hair neatly combed. The arrow wounds on his face had mostly healed, leaving only faint traces. Although he wasn't wearing armor, he was still wearing the clothes he had worn when he was captured. His light blue robe was embroidered with gold patterns, interwoven with images of lions and waves, and the hem was decorated with violet embroidery.

The table in front of her was smooth and flat, made of sturdy oak. Although simple, it was solid. The toast and stewed meat served on it in earthenware plates and bowls had lost their heat and become cold and sticky, making it unappetizing to look at and completely devoid of the color, aroma and taste that had been there before.

Although hunger continued to torment Alva, she forced herself to ignore the food in front of her, to disregard her body's protests from prolonged fasting, and to ignore wave after wave of weakness, even as she became pale and dizzy. She remained seated upright, persevering and waiting.

She knew what she was waiting for, and believed she would eventually get what she wanted, as long as the other party didn't want to watch her starve to death... as long as she still had value, she could achieve her goal.

The house was comfortable and sturdy. The two guards at the door were heavily armored warriors, one hand on a halberd and the other on a saber at their waist. They rarely spoke to each other, and someone would come to relieve them when it was time. They were as silent as statues cast in steel, dangerous yet quiet.

Next to the house was a tall arrow tower, a defensive structure belonging to the military camp... Of course, it was also perfect for surveillance. Four crossbowmen were always on guard there to ensure that no suspicious people appeared nearby. The surrounding patrols were also closely coordinated, guarding the place like an iron barrel. Not even a nimble mouse could escape their sight.

This made her give up on leaving by other means early on—the soldiers wouldn't kill her, but a foolish and reckless attempt would only worsen her situation.

The most important thing now is to speak with the true leader of the Empire—the legion commander Tesolius, who is in charge of the conquest of the south. Only in that way can we salvage the current terrible situation and find a sliver of hope for a turnaround.

So after realizing this, she began to refuse the food and water offered by the Empire, forcing herself to suppress the terrible hunger and thirst with a cold will, until she was pale from hunger, her lips were cracked from thirst, and she became so confused and weak that her body ached.

Anyone could easily see that she was about to die of thirst and hunger... but she still wouldn't even glance at the food on the table, stubbornly waiting.

………………

How much longer can she hold on?

Tersolius expressionlessly wiped the saber in his hand, observing the sharp, upturned tip and the slightly curved blade, as well as the four-section weight-reducing grooves on the blade, and finally the brass guard inlaid with emeralds, the ebony hilt, and the eagle-head-shaped counterweight.

Tarina thought about it carefully for a moment, and finally gave an affirmative answer:

"If it doesn't affect their health, we'll have to intervene by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Then let's wait a little longer..." The sharp blade grazed the silk, and with a metallic clang, the soft silk was cleaved in two:

"I want to see just how far she can go."

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A mouse poked its head out of its hole. It was very weak. In this cold winter, it had not only failed to accumulate enough fat, but it had also become so thin and its fur was dull. Among its many kind, it was a failure and could be eliminated at any time by the lack of food and the cold weather.

Even in its current state of destitution, the rat remained agile and showed no weakness due to hunger or exhaustion. After emerging from its hole, it darted swiftly along the cracks in the wall, always remaining hidden in the shadows.

Its nose is very sensitive, so in just a short while, the mouse can smell the aroma of food—a wonderful smell of fat, grains and meat mixed together, representing precious energy and calories that can make any mouse's mouth water.

As it turns out, seeking things beyond one's capabilities is an extremely dangerous endeavor. This thin rat hadn't even crawled out from the base of the wall when, very close to its food, it was pierced by a spear that fell from the sky. The sharp spearhead easily tore its body apart, almost splitting it in two. It died without even a scream or a struggle.

The silent guard tossed the corpse from the tip of his spear as easily as plucking a fallen leaf from his shoulder, then continued to perform his duty, watching over the important prisoner in the space illuminated by braziers and torches, eliminating any anomalies, even if that anomaly was a pitifully thin rat.

The grease on the broth in the room had solidified into a white layer, and the bread had become even drier and harder, enough to challenge one's teeth. Alva, now delirious, could no longer maintain his sitting posture and collapsed onto the bed.

Hunger is a truly terrifying enemy. It is unstoppable and inescapable, existing in plain sight and constantly tormenting you, driving you to search for food to fill your stomach and water to quench your thirst... Rejecting it requires immense resolve... especially when there is plenty of food in front of you.

Her body, which was originally healthy and robust, was no different from those of the emaciated slaves when threatened by hunger. Even thinking became a luxury and a difficult thing. Her body's instincts were driving her toward the place where food was placed, but her last will was rebuking her for this weak behavior.

As time grew tedious and the night deepened, and she herself thought she would never see that person again, a thunderous and magnificent sound suddenly entered her consciousness amidst the scraping of heavy armor. Accompanied by a sudden burst of light, in her hazy vision, a tall figure clad in heavy armor appeared, his body gleaming with the cold light of steel.

This figure was all too familiar; the impression he had left on her was etched far too deeply. Even in such a terrible state, Alva's eyes widened in shock:

"It's...it's you!..."

Thesolius looked at the prisoner without any emotion, then turned to look behind him:

"Let's save her first, doctor. At least we need to get her to speak clearly."

This was the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness: a familiar, gentle figure in pale blue appeared before her, and that familiar coolness surged into her heart again... making her feel inexplicably relaxed.

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"It was you!..."

In the bright sunlight, the beautiful young girl from Asel was overwhelmed with surprise. She stared at Tersolius in front of her, completely disregarding her composure, almost speechless. Although it was almost the same sentence, this time it was clearly tinged with different emotions.

Thesolius gazed at her with a subtle expression, scrutinizing her face from head to toe as if seeing it for the first time:

"Although I have seen it before, I still admire your determination and courage... At least before you anger me, you have temporarily earned my respect. Now, you can say what you want to say."

Alva pursed her lips. In that instant, she had so much to say—she wanted to ask who had betrayed them, what their purpose was, what was the situation of her father and the army… and even, for a moment, she wanted to question them about the deception they had given her.

But in the end, a restrained expression appeared on her face, as if she had suddenly put on a mask. She slowly stood up and performed a greeting befitting a southern nobleman to Tersolius:

"I have long admired your illustrious name, Your Majesty, the Imperial Commander. Your bravery is known to all, from the ice and snow of the far north to the yellow sands of the south."

Tersolius remained silent for a while, as if waiting for something, and after a long while, a regretful expression suddenly appeared on his face:

"Please sit down. You are a respectable person. I will order my men to treat you as a guest. You can ask them for anything you need... Of course, this is the military after all, and conditions are limited."

Alva didn't know what the man's regret was about, or whether it was some kind of ulterior motive. She could only do her best to cope, her mind racing as she tried to think of a way to get out of her current predicament.

“I’ve given you the opportunity to ask the questions you want to ask, so why are you hesitating? Girl, at least for now, I’m happy to answer.”

The man before her appeared generous and open-minded, but she wouldn't be easily fooled.

"Please forgive my bluntness, sir, but there is malice hidden in your words. You now hold my life in your hands, and I dare not believe your answer. Such trust is dangerous to me, as dangerous as flowing yellow sand."

"Haha! You're absolutely right. If I were in your position, I wouldn't be willing to believe you so easily either. After all, given your position, it would be very tempting to influence the situation by manipulating you with words... But the problem is, you have no choice but to listen to my answer."

Something hazy was ruthlessly torn away, and the bloody reality was exposed before our eyes, just like the blood spurting out immediately after a head is severed by a sharp blade—it was so real and cruel.

The eyes of the empire's commander, the man who led his legions to ravage the south and conquer kingdoms, were now like deep, ancient wells, containing something dangerous, vast, and unknown, revealing an obvious truth to her:

"I have no intention of letting you leave for the time being. You will be a guest for a long time to come. Of course, I have no intention of cutting off your head either. You can rest assured that. That would be too wasteful for me."

Alva was silent for a moment, then finally let out a long sigh:

"It seems I don't need to say any more ridiculous empty words. When will you let me leave? I don't think your goal is a large ransom... Of course, if that's what you mean, I believe my father and family will pay enough gold for me."

A smile returned to Thesolius's lips, the same unsettling smile that carried a dangerous undertone.

“You underestimate yourself too much, girl. Your value here is far greater than gold. As for when to let you leave? ... Of course, it will be when I think it is appropriate. Don’t worry, none of your servants have been executed. You will even be able to return to the south intact under their protection.”

"If you wish, you can meet with them. Of course, your freedom will be limited and narrow. You will no longer be able to order them to do anything for you. If you need, I will arrange two servants to take care of your daily life. After all, this is one of your privileges as a nobleman."

The silence lasted for quite some time. Alva's eyes, bright as crystal, gleamed with thoughtful reflection. Finally, she slowly raised her head:

"No need. I am not a weak or incompetent person. I can take care of myself. I only hope that you, sir, will allow me to send a letter to my father. I believe he is very worried."

“I cannot allow it.”

Tesorius shook his head slightly:

“I think I’ve already said this—your freedom here is very limited and scarce, and it doesn’t include freedom of communication at all. We will naturally convey your situation to Mr. Samir, so there’s no need to worry about that.”

"Finally, I hope you can get used to the Imperial cuisine. After all, it's difficult for us to find chefs in Asel, and you'll be staying here for quite some time. Even if it doesn't suit your taste, you'll just have to make do. But I think there shouldn't be much difference between roast meat and stew."

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The thin layer of ice and snow on the ground had completely melted, and the sun was shining brightly, warm enough to provide warmth without the need for a fire. However, not everyone felt the warmth; some people were experiencing cold hands and feet and were filled with worry…

Chapter 317 Deterioration (1)

Hatred is a sharp and harsh seed that must be watered with the blood of an enemy to blossom into a flower of relief; otherwise, it will only continue to tear at the heart, bringing constant torment and suffering.

A burning desire for revenge raged within him, yet he forced himself to suppress this impulse with a will as cold and hard as steel. He did not, like a man of spirit from Assele, draw his scimitar and behead his enemy, using the blood gushing from his neck to soothe his grief and rage.

He was clad in magnificent armor, wielded immense power, and possessed a noble status... Not one of his enemies regretted being his adversary, and most of them had already shed their blood on the yellow sands, further solidifying his formidable reputation.

But now, these past glories offer him no solace whatsoever; they only intensify his sorrow and pain—he has to allow a traitor to continue living, to allow someone who framed his daughter and caused her to fall into the hands of the Empire to continue living.

That coward may think he can escape responsibility... but his so-called cover-up was weak and laughable. Even though he wasn't good at it, he still managed to uncover the truth with a little effort—which is why his anger burned so fiercely, almost scorching his heart.

He so desperately wanted to cut off that weak, ridiculous head with his own hands, so desperately that he did it even during his rare moments of sleep… But he couldn’t do it, not even if he was grinding his teeth in hatred—because of the responsibility he bore, because behind him lay the kingdom’s most important eastern plains, because the invading empire had launched its offensive, because the defenses were already on the verge of collapse…

He could not betray his duty and mission, which was the foundation of his family's existence in Assele, and was far more terrifying to him than death... so he could tolerate it for the time being, tolerate it for the time being...

Just as a man carrying a boulder cannot drive away a venomous snake biting his ankle, he cannot break with the Abatheris family at this time, but he also cannot let others think he is weak.

Therefore, some appropriate reprimands were quite necessary for him, for the entire army, and even for the Abatheris family—only by paying a price would they temporarily lower their guard and believe that he would not retaliate fiercely against them at this critical juncture.